Keep the kids entertained this Easter with these super-easy baking recipes
The Vegan Recipe Club have come up with three easy and delicious kid-friendly baking recipes to keep your little angels occupied this Easter weekend
Lockdown has its challenges for everyone. However, those of us with kids at home have been faced with the unique challenge of being continually quizzed by our children about what activity is going to be provided next. Being bombarded with questions like ‘I’m bored, what can I do now?’ is making our already frazzled brains spiral into an abyss of panic because we’re not teachers and really have no idea what are they going to do next. We’re left desperately racking our brains to find new ways to keep our little terrors entertained.
The Vegan Recipe Club have come up with three easy and delicious kid-friendly baking recipes to keep your little angels occupied this Easter weekend, or any other time really.
These recipes all use basic store cupboard ingredients which you will likely already have at home or if not, they should still be able to be sourced from your local shop or supermarket.
Ingredients:
300g plain vegan chocolate (of your choice)
50g vegan margarine
4 tbsp golden syrup
Pinch of salt
6-7 shredded wheat biscuits
Fill the nests with sweeties of your choice from the Viva! shop
Method:
Melt the chocolate, margarine and golden syrup by heating a small saucepan with several inches of water.
Cover the top with a tightly fitting, heat-proof bowl. Make sure that the steam cannot escape. Also, check to make sure the surface of the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
Allow the chocolate, margarine and syrup to melt in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until it is completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir to make sure it’s a smooth consistency.
Break the shredded wheat up in a large mixing bowl, add the salt and then pour in the chocolate mix until completely covered.
Spoon the chocolate wheat mix into 12 cupcake cases and press the back of a teaspoon in the centre to create a nest shape. Leave the nests to set at room temperature for 2 hours.
Fill the nests with sweeties and decorate with ribbon and Easter bits and bobs.
Ingredients:
3 large, very ripe bananas
60g vegan margarine OR 50ml vegetable oil
100g caster sugar
250g self-raising flour. We like using half each wholemeal SR and white SR, but all-white works too. (GF flour works too)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
5 tbsp soya milk or other non-dairy milk
2-3 tbsp raisins or sultanas
Optional: chopped nuts or sunflower seeds
Icing (optional)
200g icing sugar
8 tsp warm water
Method:
Cake
Pre heat 180°C (fan) 350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a large non-stick loaf tin with oil spray or a light coating of margarine/oil. Add a base layer of greaseproof paper too.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork or potato masher. Add the margarine and cream it all together well – that is, mix it so it has a fairly creamy texture.
Add the sugar and mix in well.
Sieve the flour and baking powder then add the banana mixture and stir well.
To this, add the soya milk and vanilla essence a little at a time, mixing in well.
Add dried fruit – and nuts/seeds if using.
Spoon batter into the loaf tin and cook for 40-50 mins until cooked through and golden brown on the top. Test after 40 mins, using a toothpick – it should come out clean if it’s ready – otherwise, put the cake back in the oven for another 10 mins and test again.
Icing
Sieve the icing sugar into a medium-sized bowl and stir until smooth.
Pour over the cake and leave to set or enjoy straight away if you like it sticky.
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
250g/2 cups self-raising flour
250g/1¼ cups caster sugar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
100ml flavourless oil (eg rapeseed)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
250ml/1 cup soya milk
5 tsp cider vinegar
Icing
100g/6 tbsp vegan margarine
100g/6 tbsp vegetable shortening (eg Trex… this can be found in most supermarkets)
1kg/9 cups icing sugar, sieved
60-85ml/⅓ cup plant milk
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
A few drops of red, vegan, food colouring
Method:
Cakes
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan)/350ºF/Gas Mark 4
Line a muffin tray with muffin cases or cupcake cases. This recipe will make 10 large cupcakes (as pictured) or 15-20 smaller ones.
Mix the soya milk and cider vinegar in a bowl and then set aside for 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.
Add the soya/cider vinegar mixture then the oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Only combine the wet and dry ingredients together just before you are ready to put them in the oven.
Stir everything together using a metal spoon but not too much, only until everything is combined.
Tap the bowl onto the work surface to stop the raising agents working too quickly (this is a tip courtesy of the amazing Ms Cupcake!)
Fill the cupcake cases to ¾ full and tap the tray again.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the cupcake. They need to be slightly golden on the surface.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool thoroughly before icing.
Icing
Whisk together the margarine, vegetable shortening and vanilla either by hand or electric whisk.
Add the icing sugar, a quarter at a time, along with the plant milk until combined.
You can add more icing sugar or plant milk if the icing gets too wet or too dry.
Separate the icing into two and place it in two different bowls.
Add a couple of drops of the red food colouring to one of the bowls of icing until you get your desired colour.
Add your favourite cupcake nozzle to a piping bag (these can be bought from supermarkets, online and kitchen shops) and then fill with one colour of the icing.
Ice half the cakes with the white icing and half with the pink icing.
Decorate with strawberries, freeze-dried raspberries/strawberries and strawberry sauce (eg Askeys).
About the author
Siobhan Dolan
Siobhan started working at Viva! in January 2017 and it’s her job to ensure we achieve media coverage, promote Viva! and reach as many people as possible. She’s really fortunate that her role allows her to work with a broad range of the Viva! team including Investigations & Campaigns, Viva!Life, Viva!Health and Vegan Recipe Club. Click here for more info.
